If fate never brought us together, would we still find a way?
by everybodybreaksaglass
Summary: Aria struggles with being stalked by the murderer of her best friend Alison DiLaurentis, while hiding her relationship with her English Teacher and pushing away the feelings she once had for Alison's older brother. Ezria/Jaria love triangle.
1. Chapter 1

**Ezra POV**

Ezra always thought that first day of school nerves were something that only happened to Kindergarteners when they began school, and freshman on their first day of high school. He took a deep breath, in an attempt to calm himself as he began to write his name on the chalkboard. As the bell rang, he turned around and waited for the last few students to file into their seats.

"Hello, my name is Mr. Fitz, and I am your new English teacher. I'm going to try to learn all of your names as quick as I can but I won't make any promises. Now for today I'm not going to make you do anything hard. I just want you to write a short essay telling me about yourself. Once you finish, you can start on your reading for tonight, which I'll put on the board later." Ezra scanned the room full of blank faces; teenagers who obviously stayed up too late and weren't happy that their summer was officially ended. "Any questions? No? Okay, get started."

He sat down in his desk chair and let out a quiet huff. In an attempt to familiarize himself with their faces, and that's when he saw her. She was leaning over in her seat, whispering to the blonde sitting next to her, and they both laughed. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder before leaning over in her notebook. As she wrote, Ezra noticed that the girl was using a pen, a sign of a true writer. A true writer knows that your let your emotions pour through the pen, and you only fix your mistakes once you are finished and have reread your piece.

Ezra was admiring the girl's soft curls when she tore her eyes from her paper and looked around the room while tapping her pen. Her eyes met Ezra's, and she smiled. He cleared his throat and began looking through his lesson plans for the week. Try as he might, his mind couldn't seem to focus on anything other than the girl with the thick brown hair and wide eyes. He knew he couldn't be in a relationship with one of his students. Even though Ezra had just graduated from college and the age difference was insignificant, he was supposed to be a figure of authority to this girl, not be looking for a relationship with her.

His thoughts wandered back to Jackie for the millionth time since they had broken up. Ezra still couldn't believe that he had almost married her, and she had turned out to be nothing but a manipulative woman, and a cheater. If Jackie knew that Ezra was thinking about her currently, she would have smiled coyly, thinking that she could get whatever she wanted. He had come to realize that what Jackie did to him was a blessing. Their relationship was not what a relationship should be, by his standards. It was purely sexual, and when they weren't in bed together, they were out partying and drinking with their college buddies. Ezra's college years were over now, and he decided that he can't be foolish in his actions like he was when he was with Jackie.

Ezra was more than thankful when the bell for the end of class rang and broke his train of thought. The students exited the classroom one by one while giving him a head nod and mumbling their "thank you's" and "have a nice day's". The girl of whom his thoughts were wrapped around stopped by the door.

"You go ahead, Hanna," She said to the blonde girl, "I'll catcrih up with you in a sec," She walked over to Ezra's desk, where he averted her eye and pretended to be shuffling papers. She stopped right in front of him, as Ezra tried not to think about how he wanted to run his fingers through her hair, and how he wanted to kiss her full lips, and how he wanted to wrap his arms around her waist curve right now and…

Ezra shook his head to clear that thought. He knew he couldn't let his thoughts wander like that. Not here, now now.

"First day got you frazzled?" She said with a laugh. Her smile was truly beautiful.

"You could say that," Ezra smiled back at her.

"Both my parents are teachers, so I know what it's like. My dad is a professor over at Hollis, and my mom decided to become a teacher again now that we're back in Rosewood. She works here, have you met her? Her name is Mrs. Montgomery." The words she spoke were steady. Ezra thought that she was obviously very mature for her age.

"To be honest I've met so many teachers in the past week I can hardly remember a single name. I'm sure I've met her but I can't put a name to the face." Teachers had to be at school a week before students did, and the five days of getting settled into the school had flown by for Ezra. "And you are?"

"Aria. Aria Montgomery." She held her hand out, and Ezra shook it. Of course her name was as beautiful as her face.

"Pleased to meet you, I apologize for staring at you in class today, you just look very familiar." A statement, which of course, was a total lie, but Ezra didn't want the most beautiful girl in the world to think he was a creep.

"Probably in the Rosewood newspaper, my friend Ali went missing last summer. Right when I moved back here I learned they found her body. My friends and I are the center of most news articles, since we were the last ones that saw her." Her face fell as she talked, and Ezra could tell that it was a difficult subject for her to talk about. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"If you need to talk to someone, you can come to me anytime, Aria."

"Thank you, Mr. Fitz." She smiled at him.

"Please, outside of class, it's Ezra. I want my students to view me as a friend, not just a mentor."

"Well then, it was very nice to meet you Ezra. I should really be going though, I'm meeting my friends in the cafeteria. I'm sure you'll meet them in your classes later today." She turned to face Ezra as she stood in the doorway.

"Do you want your door open or closed?" She asked, her hand wavering by the door handle.

"Closed, please. I don't have class this period and I want to get some work done." She shut the door behind her, and Ezra leaned back in his chair while covering his eyes with his hands, asking himself what on earth he was getting in to.

**Hey guys! I'm probably going to leave an author's note at the end of every chapter, I like to connect with my audience on a personal level. First thing first, thank you for reading thus far. Though this is an M-Rated Fan Fiction, it's not going to be hard core porno. There will be adult content (drug reference/sexual content/mild language) but nothing extreme, and the entire plot will not revolve around it. Lastly, I would really appreciate it if you would leave a review. If I get ten reviews, I'll post the next chapter by Friday. If not, I'll just post it next Tuesday. I'll try to post at least one chapter a week. Next chapter is from Aria's POV, see you then!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Aria POV**

It became very apparent to Aria that there would be little sleeping in and skipping first period English this year. She tried to be as subtle as possible while watching Ezra Fitz walk across the cafeteria, only half-heartedly listening to the conversation her friends were carrying on.

"Have you guys had English class?" Hanna asked. Ezra dropped his fork on the ground. "The new English teacher is yummy." Ezra bent over to pick up said fork. Aria bit her lip as she stared at his toned behind, not even caring about who could see her.

"What are you looking at?" Spencer asked. Aria snapped out of it fast.

"N-nothing…I was just…" She stammered. Nothing got past her three best friends. They simultaneously turned around.

"Ooh, Aria has the hots for Fitzy." Hanna teased. Leave it to her to have already come up with a nickname for Ezra.

"I was not!" Aria cried out, a little too defensively. "Besides, a relationship with Ezra would be asking for trouble, especially with everything that's going on right now." Aria realized she shouldn't have said his first name, but if her friends noticed, they didn't pick up on it.

"It's okay to look. We girls always need to be on the prowl." Hanna said with an overdramatic wink and girlish giggle. Aria looked down at my plate and pretended to have a sudden interest in cutting her grilled chicken.

"Speaking of men that spell trouble," Spencer cut in, using her ticked off tone of voice, "Guess who moved back into the DiLaurentis house?"

"Who?" Emily, who was always a bit quiet, piped up.

"Jason." Spencer spat his name out as if were synonymous with the Plague.

"You know, I don't think he's all that bad." Aria said shyly.

"Oh come on!" Spencer slammed her fist down on the table while turning her head towards her.

"Easy Spence," Hanna, who never took anything seriously, said with a laugh, "We all know Jason and Aria had a little something-something going on."

"We did not!" Aria lied. In fact, if it hadn't been for Alison's need to control everything and everyone, Jason and Aria probably would have started a relationship that summer.

"Come on Hanna," Emily spoke, "I think you've teased Aria about her relationship interests enough for one day." Aria didn't say anything, but she shot Emily a glance that said 'thank you'. None of us wanted to think about Ali or her brother. There was still a sort of hole where there should have been five of us.

Aria was sitting at her Kitchen table doing what little homework had been assigned on the first day of school when her mom walked in. Aria greeted her mother without looking up.

"Hi sweetie," Mrs. Montgomery replied, "How was your first day?" She didn't even give Aria time to answer, "Did you like English class? Mr. Fitz is pretty cute, wouldn't you say?" Aria knew her mom was just teasing her but she could still feel her cheeks flush.

"Mom, no, gross." A clearly flustered Aria replied.

"Oh come on, fresh out of college and that good looking? He's going to have girls all over him." Aria rolled her eyes at her mother's comment.

"The entire buzz is just because he's new. It'll be over in a week." Aria knew she was lying to herself. Something about Ezra Fitz really had her drawn to him.

"I think it would be nice for us to invite him over to dinner, with him being new to Rosewood and not having many friends." Ella Montgomery eyed Aria, making it apparent that she wanted a response to her suggestion.

"You can do whatever you want." Aria said as nonchalantly as she could muster.

"How was the rest of your school day?" Ella could see her daughter clearly didn't want to talk any longer on the subject of Ezra Fitz.

"As good as it could have gone, I guess. It's nice to be back in Rosewood with all of my best friends." Aria took a breath, and then added, "Well, almost all of them." Ella's caring, motherly side instantly kicked in.

"Sweetheart, it's going to be hard for you to adjust to this. Your father and I have come to realize that moving to Iceland for a year was just running from our problems, not facing them. Alison was one of your best friends, and she brought you girls all together." Ella paused for a moment, formulating what to say next, "But like it or not, this is the card life has dealt you, and you girls are going to have to learn to move on and continue to grow without her."

"I know, mom." Aria sighed, "I just feel like none of us are really going to be able to move on until we reach closure. It kills me to know that Alison's murderer is still running around Rosewood somewhere."

"The Police are working as hard as they can, Aria. They'll figure it out soon." Aria and her mother both knew this was an empty promise, who knew if Ali's killer would ever be caught?

"I hope so." Aria made an attempt to change the topic, "Guess who is back in town?"

"Who?"

"Jason DiLaurentis." Aria answered, "He's back in the house. Spencer told us at lunch."

"Oh?" Ella commented, she knew that Jason had an interest in Aria, or at least he used to.

"Mhmm," Aria confirmed.

"Maybe you should go say hello to him?" Ella suggested, always wanting to be the kind neighbor to everyone, "You can bring something over to him too, you know, as a welcome back into town."

"Yeah, sure." Aria had secretly been wanting an excuse to talk to Jason ever since she found out he was back.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you and I bake something together for you to bring over? I saw this new pie recipe in one of my magazines and I'm just dying to try it out."

"Yeah mom, I'd like that."

**A/N: Hey guys I know I said that I wouldn't post until next week unless I got ten reviews but I have a lot written so I decided to post anyways. Please leave feedback, positive or negative I appreciate any kind. Next chapter is a flashback, and I'll be posting it on Tuesday. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Flashback: The Summer of Alison's Disappearance _**

_ Aria tapped lightly on the door before her. _

_"Come in." Jason called. Aria cautiously walked into the room where Jason DiLaurentis, Ian Thomas, and Garrett Reynolds were blasting music, drinking, and smoking pot._

_"Sorry to bother you guys, Ali sent me." Aria spoke shyly, averting the eyes of the three older boys, "She told me to tell you guys to keep it down, we're trying to sleep." _

_ Jason reached over the headboard of his bead which he was sitting on, and turned down the dial on his stereo. He raised his eyebrows at Aria._

_"Right, um, bye." Aria pivoted to exit the room. Jason eyed the pink streaks in her hair. His eyes wandered to her stomach that was exposed due to her tight black tank top, and down her legs which were clad only in a pair of short jean shorts._

_"Wait," He called after Aria. Ian and Garrett turned to face him, questioning his actions, "Stay with us for a while. _

_"Uh, okay. Sure, whatever." Aria hesitantly walked back into the room where Jason and his high school buddies currently resided. She felt a little wary of why they would invite her to join him, but she pushed her thoughts aside. Jason DiLaurentis, Alison's very attractive older brother, the one who always seemed to disregard Aria's existence, finally wanted her around._

_"Hey Aria, you ever tried weed?" Ian asked just a little too loudly. He took a puff of his joint and half choked- half laughed at his own joke. Garrett remained sitting in the chair, eyeing Aria cautiously._

_"Have I ever what?" Aria was appalled that Ian would even ask her such a question._

_"Come here." Jason patted the bed beside him, inviting Aria to sit down next to him. Aria walked over and sat down, trying her hardest not to let her schoolgirl nerves show. Jason held out the smoldering joint towards Aria, "Try it," he said, "You might like it."  
Aria's hand wavered next to Jason's; she didn't want to get high. Illegal drugs had never appealed to her before. On the other hand, this might be one of her only chances to get to know Jason without Ali around. If she turned down his offer, Jason might see her as juvenile, instead of fit to be around him. She reached towards the joint with a shaking hand, and brought it towards her mouth. Aria tried her hardest not to cough as she inhaled the smoke. She handed it back to Jason, who was watching her closely._

_"Atta girl," Jason said, "You'll feel a lot better in a few minutes."_

_"Jason," Garrett called out, breaking the eye contact that Jason and Aria held, "We're out of beer." _

_"Why don't you guys go get some," Jason spoke what was less than a suggestion and more of a command, "I'll stay here so Aria doesn't have to be alone." _

_ Aria was sure everyone could hear her heart beating through her shirt, being alone with Jason was all she had ever wanted. Jason watched Garrett and Ian exit the room and close the door behind him. _

_"You doing all right, Aria?" Jason asked, turning his attention back to the young girl in his room. Aria nodded. She wasn't sure if the daze she felt was because she had smoked, or because she was alone with Jason. Or perhaps it was a combination of both. _

_ Jason moved closer to Aria and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Aria nearly jumped out of her skin at his touch._

_"You know, I've always admired the pink strand of your hair," Jason speech slurred as he spoke, but Aria was too in awe to notice._

_"Thank you." Her words came out barely louder than a whisper._

_"Your little friends won't be missing you, will they?" Jason asked Aria, slowly reaching towards her clenched palm. Aria shook her head, she was scared if she'd open her mouth now all her feelings would spill out, "Good." Jason stated, "Because now that I'm finally alone with you, I don't think I'd be very willing to give you back to them." _

_ Jason let go of Aria's hand, and gently cupped her face in his hands. Aria moved closer to him, and their lips met for the first time. Aria's heart skipped a beat; she had never really kissed anyone before. Sure, there were those times at awkward middle school birthday parties where they played spin the bottle and she shared a quick peck with some kid from one of her classes. But it was never like this. She was never alone then, she never wanted to be alone with those boys._

_ She kissed him back. Slowly at first, but as Jason's hand moved down to her lower back and pulled her closer to him, they began to kiss each other faster, with more passion. Aria broke the kiss for a few seconds,_

_"I've always wanted this, but Ali. . . " She whispered, looking into Jason's eyes as she let her deepest secret pour out to him. _

_"Shhh," Jason murmured, silencing Aria with another kiss, "Don't speak. Just be here." _

_ Aria wrapped her arms around Jason's warm neck. She felt his tight shoulder muscles beneath her hands. His tongue gently traced the inside of Aria's lips, asking for permission. Aria tensed, her nerves making her afraid to mess this up. She had never French kissed anybody before, at a party, or anywhere._

_"Easy, Aria." Jason's soothing voice coaxed Aria to open her mouth and grant him permission to enter her._

_ Aria intertwined her fingers with Jason's hair. He moaned and leaned forwards into her tiny body, pressing her back down against his mattress. Careful not to crush Aria's petite frame, Jason made sure to support his weight. Jason broke their endless kiss and kissed every inch of Aria's face down to her neck. Aria pulled Jason's head back up until his lips met hers once again. He let out a low chuckle, somewhat surprised that Aria was being as feisty as she was. _

_ Jason's thumbs traced circles on the edges of Aria's ribcage. His hips slowly grinded against hers, and she could feel him hard against her. Jason inhaled sharply as Aria slid her tongue along the roof of his mouth. He moved his hands down her back, until he was touching the soft spot of skin between her tank top and shorts. Aria's back arched into his touch, the world seemed to be fading away around them and all that was left on earth was the two of them alone in that one room._

_ Jason pushed Aria's shirt up, and Aria quickly let go of her grasp on his thick dirty blonde hair. She slammed her palms against his chest in a futile attempt to push him away, _

_"Stop," Aria cried out, "Get off of me." Jason sat up instantly, dumfounded at what had just happened._

_"Aria!" Jason called after the small girl as she jumped up and darted towards the bedroom door, "Aria I'm sorry!" _

_ Aria nearly ran into Ian and Garrett walking back from wherever they were carrying a six pack of Bud Light. They walked into Jason's room just in time to see him leaning against the wall next to his bed, covering his face with his palms._

_ Aria tried to walk back down into the basement as casually as possible. She saw instantly that everyone but Alison was fast asleep. Ali was sitting on a loveseat, reading a book, when Aria walked downstairs. Ali looked up and flashed one of her fake smiles,_

_"Did you get caught up upstairs, Aria?" Alison said, "That's okay. I'll always wait for you." _

_ Aria ignored Alison as she went over and curled up in the sleeping bag that had been set out for her. _

_"You know," Ali continued to speak, even though Aria gave no inkling that she wanted to speak with Ali, "I never thought about what it would be like to have one of my friends dating my brother. I sure hope one of you would tell me if you had feeling for him."_

_ Ali giggled, then went back to reading her book. Aria rolled over to face away from Ali, and tried to stifle the tears that began to roll down her cheek._

**A/N Hey guys! Thanks so much for the good feedback I've been getting on this, it really means a lot to me. Are you excited for tonight's episode? I'll either post the next chapter on Friday or next Tuesday depending on how you guys like this one. Next chapter: Aria POV. Leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Aria POV**

Aria's thoughts kept wandering back to that night as she walked up the short pathway to the DiLaurentis front door. The recipe that she and her mother had tried together failed miserably, but Aria decided that she still wanted to see Jason. It was a good idea to clear up whatever was going on between them. Just as Aria reached the steps leading up to Jason's front porch, her phone beeped in her pocket. Aria halted in her tracks. Text messages hadn't been a happy thing for Aria and her friends for a long time. She reached into her back pocket to retrieve her phone, and tapped the screen to read the message.

_Drunk words are sober thoughts._

_ -A_

Aria sighed to herself. Of course A knew about that night with Jason. A knew everything. She walked up the stairs, rang the doorbell, and took a step back to wait for Jason to answer her.

"Aria, hi," Jason said when he opened the door.

Aria could tell that he had changed for the better since she had seen him last. Looking up at him, Aria realized she had forgotten how tall he was. She barely came up to his shoulders, and he was leaning against the doorway. Jason was wearing a fitted t-shirt under an unbuttoned flannel that left his muscular figure outlined for Aria to marvel at. His hair had gotten longer since last summer, too. Ali's death had clearly taken a toll on Jason. Dark circles were under his eyes, eyes which normally glistened with happiness that had now gone dull.

"Hi Jason," Aria snapped out of her daze, "I heard you moved back in and I just wanted to welcome you home."

"Thank you," Jason gave a head nod to Aria as he spoke, "I'm glad you came by actually."

"Why?"  
"I believe I have something to apologize for." Aria felt herself shrink down when Jason said those words. She had hoped he had forgotten the event, but it became evident that this was not the case.

"Jason, you really don't have to do that." Aria felt uncomfortable. She wasn't upset with Jason, nor was she creeped out by him. All that she felt towards Jason was regret; she had really liked him and her immaturity had ruined everything.

"I know, but I want to. I pressured you into doing things you didn't want to, and I'm sorry. I never got a chance to say that to you, and it's been one of my biggest regrets."

"It's okay, Jason. I don't blame you for anything."

Aria could tell that Jason felt like a predator towards her. He was older, but he was Ali's brother. If Aria was creeped out by anyone she knew when Ali was still alive, it was Toby Cavanaugh. Even then, her hard feelings towards him had faded away and were a long forgotten memory.

"Do you want to come inside? I'd love to catch up with you more." Jason stepped back and gestured toward the entryway of the home. Aria felt a pang inside her chest, nothing had changed since the last time Aria was inside the house.

"I. . . I want to but there's just too many memories. . ." Aria's voice shook as she spoke.

Jason reached out and wiped the tears that Aria hadn't realized she was crying away with his thumb. Aria wrapped her arms around his middle and pulled herself into him, trying to stifle a sob. He held her as gently as possible, whispering soothing things to her.  
"It's okay Aria, I miss her too. You'll be okay."

Jason stroked her hair, while resting his chin on top of Aria's head. She mumbled into his chest,

"I think the hardest part is that I don't want to miss her," Aria spoke "She could be so cruel to me. But she shaped who I am, and she was one of my best friends, so I can't move on."

Jason lifted Aria's chin and looked into her teary eyes.

"Don't take that out on yourself. Ali manipulated everyone. Whatever dirt I had on her, she always had more. But I do know one thing; she didn't manipulate who you are. You did that all on your own. Don't let her control you forever."

Aria didn't know why she did it, it just felt right in the moment. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed Jason on the cheek. He looked down at her with wide eyes,

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Thank you," Aria said, "For being there for me."

Aria looked into his eyes and felt herself shiver. It wasn't just from the summer rains that were coming later that evening.

"I'm sorry Jason but I really do have to go. My mom is having one of the new teachers at my school over for dinner tonight, and I want to look presentable."

"Are you sure you should walk home alone? It's getting kind of dark outside." It was only 5 p.m. but no one had ever felt quite as safe in Rosewood since Ali had disappeared. Aria thought back to all the threatening messages A had sent her in the past weeks.

"I think I'll be okay," Aria said, in a very unconvincing tone of voice.

"Let me walk with you, it's the least I can do." Aria nodded, and Jason shut his front door behind him.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra was nervous as he walked up to the Montgomery's front door. He had been taken aback at the kind gesture of Ella Montgomery inviting him to have dinner with her family. Without really thinking, he accepted. Then Ezra remembered that Aria Montgomery was Ella's daughter. He hoped that she was out with her friends, then he wouldn't have to sit through dinner pretending that Aria wasn't the most beautiful girl he had ever met.

His fears were confirmed when Aria answered the door. No girl could compare to how beautiful Aria looked tonight, or any other day for that matter. From what Ezra had gathered from the past two weeks of school, Aria always wore flattering outfits that flaunted her beautiful figure. Tonight was no exception. Aria was wearing a fitted black dress, that had thin lace for the sleeves and neckline. Ezra had to pull his eyes away from the way the lace graciously lingered along the edge of Aria's collarbones.

"Hello, Mr. Fitz," Aria greeted him cheerfully, "You look nice." She said, as her eyes danced over the black blazer that Ezra had over a grey sweater and white dress shirt, which he paired with dark wash jeans and black oxfords.

"Thank you, so do you."

"Come on in, my mom is just finishing up with making dinner.

Ezra followed Aria into her living room, loving the sound of her platform wedges hitting the hardwood floor as she walked.

"Mom, Mr. Fitz is here." Aria called into the kitchen. Ella rushed out,

"Ezra, it's so nice to see you." Ella shook his hand as she spoke, "My husband, Byron should be home any second now."

Ezra noticed a change in Aria's stance as her mother spoke. He brushed it off as just another mood swing, Aria was going through a difficult time with losing her best friend and moving back into Rosewood.

"It's nice to see you too, you have a beautiful home Ella." Ezra handed Ella a bottle of wine, which Aria hadn't noticed that he was holding.

"Oh, thank you, you shouldn't have." Ella gushed. She turned to Aria, "Aria, I forgot to ask how Jason was, is he doing well?"  
Ezra wondered to himself who Jason was. Was he a boyfriend of Aria's? He wouldn't be surprised to find out that other men found themselves entranced by the beautiful girl.

"He's doing okay, he walked me home but you were in the kitchen so I didn't want to disturb you." Ezra found himself feeling a slight bit jealous as Aria spoke. Not only was Aria spending time with another man, but he walked her home. Surely that was a sign that they were dating.

"You should have invited him to stay for dinner! I haven't seen him since Alison's funeral." Ella said.

"Maybe another time," Aria spoke.

The trio was interrupted by the front door opening.

"Hello everyone!" The man who entered spoke, "Well isn't this a merry group?"

The man walked over to Ezra and shook his hand,

"You must be Ezra Fitz," He spoke, "I'm Byron, father of Aria and Mike, and husband to this beautiful woman over here."

"It's nice to meet you," Ezra said. His eyes wavered over to Aria, who was glowering at her father. He made a mental note to ask her what was wrong.

"Would you like something to drink? I'll offer you some scotch, my best kind." Byron seemed very friendly; Ezra couldn't imagine the tension he noticed Aria felt towards her father.

"That would be nice , thank you."  
"Well don't take too long boys, dinner's almost ready. Aria, would you go fetch Mike from his lair?"  
Aria laughed as her mother spoke, then obliged to what she asked.

**Aria POV**

Aria knocked on her little brother's door.  
"Mike? Mom wants you to go downstairs for dinner, okay?"

Aria waited to hear a disgruntled confirmation that Mike had heard her before wandering into her bedroom. She looked into her vanity mirror, and decided to fix her lipstick. And it wouldn't hurt to put on some more mascara and spritz a little bit of her favorite perfume.

Aria was leaning towards the mirror, when she heard footsteps entering her room. She turned around and gasped in surprise. Ezra Fitz stood in her room, looking confused.

"Hi Ezra," Aria said breathlessly.

"Hi, sorry, bathroom? Your mom said it was on the left." Ezra spoke in an embarrassed tone.

"Oh, it's the last one on the left, not this room, obviously."

Ezra closed the gap in between himself and Aria. She could feel her heart beating faster. Since when were English teachers so cute? And in her bedroom? Ezra reached out and gently brushed his thumb across Aria's face. She closed her eyes at his touch. He held out his hand to her,

"You had an eyelash," Ezra explained, "Make a wish." Aria blew against Ezra's hand, and smiled. "What'd you wish for?" Ezra asked.

"I can't tell you or it won't come true." Aria giggled, and looked up at Ezra with big eyes. His eyes were the sweetest blue. And his lips were beautifully shaped. Her mind wandered to what it would be like to kiss him. That was her wish. Aria wished for Ezra.

"Guys, time for dinner!" Ella's voice broke the trance Ezra and Aria held over each other.

"Do you need help walking down the stairs?" Ezra held out his hand to Aria when they go to the end of the hallway. Aria was confident that she could walk in her heels, but she loved the feel of Ezra's warm, soft hands.

"I'd like that." Aria spoke shyly.

Ezra held Aria's tiny hand in his. Aria could feel how strong his grip was. They were halfway down the staircase when Aria tripped on a kink in the wood of her stairs. Ezra caught her, holding her steady.

"Woah there," Ezra laughed as he spoke.

"Thanks," Aria said, "Even with these danged shoes on I'm still shorter than everyone, I don't know what I'm gaining, actually."  
"S'okay," Ezra chuckled, "Being tiny is cute, and I don't think anyone ever minded watching a girl walk in heels."

Aria looked into Ezra's blue eyes and smiled. Never had a compliment affected her like one coming from Ezra's mouth. Aria could feel Ezra's heartbeat through his shirt, and wondered if he wanted to kiss her as desperately as she wanted his lips against hers.

"Aria," Ezra groaned.

Footsteps echoed across the hard floor. Aria and Ezra broke apart, placing a non-conspicuous distance between them. Ezra cleared his throat,

"Why don't we go to dinner?" Ezra suggested. Aria nodded.

Ezra sat down opposite of Aria, who was seated next to her younger brother. She kept throwing glances at him as the five people seated at the table made light conversation.

"So, Aria," Byron spoke awkwardly, "How's school going so far?""

"Yeah Aria," Ella teased, "Any cute boys?"

"Um, I guess." Aria turned to face her father, "What about you, dad, how are your students this year?"

Aria spoke with a tone that indicated she didn't actually care how her father's students were. Something else was going on, and Ezra noticed.

"They're fine, Aria." Byron's voice was fake, a forced tone of happiness, "Just like they are every other year."

Ezra, who noticed the heavy tension in between Byron and his daughter, coughed loudly and broke the silence,

"This was a lovely meal, Ella." He said. Aria smiled and agreed with Ezra.

"Thank you, Ezra, that's very kind of you." Ella always seemed very cheerful, "Would you like an after dinner coffee?"

"No thanks, I really shouldn't stay much longer." Ezra wanted to stay, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle himself in Aria's presence, "I have lot of papers to grade tonight."  
"But it's Saturday!" Byron objected, "Surely you can do it tomorrow?"

"Sunday is my off day, it's a very nice offer but I'm afraid we'll have to do it some other time." Ezra spoke.

They all bid each other farewell. Ezra shook Byron and Mike's hands, and gave Ella a hug.

"Thank you for having me tonight." Ezra spoke,

"It was my pleasure."

Ezra turned to Aria. She could feel the awkward tension between them. Ezra reached out and hugged her, she was sure he could feel the heat that was flushing her cheeks.

"See you in class, Aria." Aria loved the way that his voice sounded in her ear.

"Goodbye, Mr. Fitz." Aria said. Ezra turned around to face her,

"Please, it's Ezra."

**A/N: I know I changed point of view a lot in this chapter, I'm sorry if you got whiplash! If you haven't noticed by now, I'm writing in third person omniscient, and when I say "Aria POV" I mean I can only see inside Aria's head. Really hoping that you guys like my style of writing, though if you have criticism and present it nicely I really appreciate it! (I also love love LOVE positive feedback. Anyways, follow, favorite & leave a review, it lets me know where I stand with you guys! Next chapter will either be posted next Tuesday as always or on Friday if I get a lot of reviews. Who's excited for tonight's episode?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ezra POV**

Try as he might, Ezra couldn't get Aria out of his mind. The slightest touch of his hand against hers as he bent over her desk to help her with an assignment sent chills down his spine. Whenever the bell rang for class, Ezra always looked for her entrancing figure to enter the room. He couldn't help but stare at her when she ran her fingers through her hair, or feel his heart melt at the sound of her voice. But what really had him under her spell most of all, was the expression in her eyes when she looked at him.

Ezra wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking. After all, he wanted there to be something between the two of them. But he couldn't want that. Well, he could want it. He did want it. But it was so wrong. She was sixteen. It was a beautiful, intelligent, mature sixteen. Ezra was nearly ten years older than her. It was morally wrong, even if his attraction to her felt right. He had to get her out of his mind. There was always one thing that made him feel better. Ezra decided to go to the local book store, buy something new, and sit in the café next door drinking coffee.

Ezra was walking down the aisles, looking for something knew that could clear his mind, when he heard her laugh. He shook his head at himself, feeling foolish for imagining her voice. But then he realized that Aria was in the isle next to him. Ezra quickly walked over and saw Aria, holding a book and talking to a tall, dirty blonde man who was clearly attracted to her. Ezra instantly was overcome with jealousy at the thought of having to compete with someone else for Aria's attention. He pushed away the thought as he approached the two.

"Aria, fancy running into you here," Ezra spoke while eyeing the man who was looking at Aria.

"Hi Ezra," Aria smiled as she spoke, and then turned to the man who's attention she had a hold over, "Jason, this is my English teacher. Ezra, this is Jason, he was Alison's brother."

Jason offered his hand out to Ezra, and Ezra shook it stiffly. Uncomfortable glances were exchanged between the trio before Ezra broke the silence.

"What book do you have there?" Ezra gestured towards the book Aria was holding, and she held it up for him, "Oh, _Winesburg Ohio_, that's a favorite of mine."

"Really?" Aria seemed to be in awe of Ezra's literature tastes, "I've been wanting to read it forever, I just never had the time."

"You'd be welcome to borrow it from me," Ezra noticed Jason glaring at him, "Just so you don't have to buy it."

"Thank you, I think I'll take you up on that offer." Aria had the sweetest smile.

"Aria and I were just going over to the coffee shop, would you care to join us?" Jason offered.

"I was going to do the same, that would be nice."

Ezra exited the store with Aria and Jason into the comforting atmosphere of the café. They all sat down at a table by the window after getting drinks. Ezra and Aria both took their coffee the same way, lots of cream and little sugar. His mind wandered to what it might be like to be here, alone, with Aria, when Jason broke his train of thought.

"So, you're an English teacher, huh?" Jason eyed Ezra as he spoke, "How long have you been teaching for?"

"Oh, well this is actually my first year as a teacher." Ezra explained, "I just graduated from Hollis last year and was lucky enough to get a job doing what I love over the summer."

"And how's that working?" Ezra wondered why Jason's tone of voice was so firm. They had just met; there was no way he could have done something to make him angry already.

"There's ups and downs with every profession, but I'm really lucky to have students who care a lot about their schoolwork." Ezra smiled at Aria as he spoke.

"That's one of my favorite things about Rosewood," Aria broke in, "Students seem to really care about the classes and it's just a better environment."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it." Jason looked specifically at Aria as he spoke.

"So, what do you do?" Ezra asked Jason.

'I just moved back into Rosewood, right now I'm fixing my old house up and after that I'm going to start a program to counsel teens with substance abuse."

"Jason that's great!" Aria exclaimed. Ezra had to admit that it was a really nice career choice. It was always nice when someone cared about the youth.

"I've actually got to split now," Jason said, "Some workers are coming to the house soon and I don't want to leave them hanging."

"Bye Jason," Aria reached over to hug Jason.

"See ya,"

"Goodbye Jason." Ezra's voice was cool, with little emotion showing.

"Fitz." Jason nodded at Ezra.

Ezra watched Jason walk out of his view before turning to Aria.

"Do you want to come by my apartment tomorrow? To pick up the book?" Ezra asked Aria.

"Yeah, sure," Aria accepted his offer.

It was Labor Day weekend, the first three day weekend in the school year, so Aria didn't have much to do that Monday anyways. Ezra wrote down his address for Aria, then smiled at her.

"Just come by anytime. I'm not really doing anything other than having my friend Hardy over, and he won't mind if you drop in." Ezra explained, "See you, Aria."

Ezra turned around to smile at Aria as he got up and left. He tried to convince himself that he just wanted Aria to come over and pick up the book. That's what teachers did, right? They helped broaden their student's educational tools. But he knew it was more than that. He cared about Aria so much. Watching her walk across the classroom, hearing her hypnotic voice, being unable to have her as his every day was unbearable. So why was it so hard to admit it to himself?

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry for not posting last week and I didn't have time to write. I had this finished but I wanted to review it before posting it. I always post on Tuesdays so I figured that I should just wait a week and give you guys a good chapter as opposed to a crappy one. How are you liking this so far? Please leave a review! I have some questions to ask and I'd love if you'd answer them in the review!**

**Who do you think Aria will get together with?**

**[ ] Ezra [ ] Jason [ ] Both**

**Do you think A is. . .**

**[ ] Someone I've already introduced in the story [ ] A character from the TV show/Books [ ] Someone completely different**

**What's your favorite and least favorite thing about my writing style?**

**Thanks so much! You don't have to answer these questions I'm just curious. I appreciate every review I get, though, so really just say anything and I'll be happy! See you next week, don't forget to follow!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm so so sooooo sorry I posted the same chapter twice, thank you to the person who reviewed this and let me know what was going on. I'm really proud of this chapter, I hope it was worth the wait and confusion. See you next week for real this time *Kisses***

**Aria POV**

Aria softly knocked on the door to Ezra's apartment. She could hear the TV blaring inside, and two voices laughing. Checking the address written down twice, Aria knocked a little louder. The door opened to reveal Ezra's smiling face. His cheeks were slightly flushed, but whether it was from laughter or the beer glass in Ezra's hand, Aria wasn't sure.

"Hey, Aria, come on in!" Ezra's voice was jubilant as he motioned towards the door, "This is my best pal Hardy. Want to stay a while?"

Oh did she ever. Aria laughed and politely accepted Ezra's offer. At the moment, there was nothing she had to do, so why not have some casual fun with her English teacher? It helped that he was gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to spend a day off school with their teacher, if their teacher was this good looking?

"Aria, want a beer? We have plenty." Hardy offered, opening the fridge to show Aria all the six packs.

"No thanks," Aria declined, "I don't drink."

Aria noticed that Ezra looked slightly uncomfortable. Had he not told Hardy that she was his English Student? Maybe that was a good thing. There was no harm in Hardy not knowing that Aria and Ezra spending time together might not be the most appropriate thing in the world.

"Can you stay for dinner?" Ezra asked, "I'm trying this new vegetarian recipe and I need a professional to try it out."

A smile formed across Aria's face. It was sweet how Ezra remembered that she didn't eat meat. The only time she had mentioned it was in passing during a class discussion.

"That depends, how good of a cook are you?" Aria teased.

Hardy stuck his tongue out and made the universal sign for choking with his hands. Aria made an attempt to stifle her giggle, but Ezra noticed anyways and elbowed Hardy in the ribs.

"Well in that case," Aria laughed, "I think I'd better stay just to make sure you aren't poisoning poor Hardy here."

"I'm honored by your presence in my household, Miss Montgomery, the esteemed food critic." Ezra mocked, and bowed down to Aria.

Wow, Ezra Fitz was cooking for her. This was an unexpected twist. Aria tried to push the thought out of her head. Ezra didn't even plan on Aria staying. All he knew was that she needed to get the book. Still, it was interesting that Ezra showed an interest in trying different recipes.

"What are you trying to poison us with this time anyways, Z?" Hardy poked at Ezra's middle. Aria noticed how firm his stomach was, and absentmindedly bit her lip.

"Stuffed mushrooms," Ezra said, "And I'll try my best to make them edible."

Aria smiled, that was one of her favorite dishes. There were so many different ways to prepare the food, so many different ingredients and seasonings to experiment with. Nothing was better than food that could be tweaked whichever way the chef desired. A small giggle escaped her lips,

"What is it?" Ezra inquired, "Is my dish too amateur to grace thy lovely mouth?"

Aria blushed, she knew Ezra was just joking but any form of flattery from him was welcome.

"No, not at all!" Aria confirmed, "That's one of my favorite meals. I'm just laughing because that's a pretty hard dish to screw up."  
"Oh trust me," Hardy broke in, "Ezra will find a way. He once started a fire in the Hollis cafeteria while trying to make some toast."

Aria's laugher was maniacal. The thought of Ezra as a dorky college boy was too much for her.

"It was one time!" Ezra tried to defend himself, "And we all know that toaster was older than we are."

"One time, when I was home alone with my little brother Mike, he asked if he could make some easy mac," Aria's story began, "I figured he was old enough to do it himself, and he put a metal fork in the microwave with it! I caught it soon enough so nothing bad happened but it was still pretty scary."

"Kids," Hardy scoffed, "So what do you do anyways, Aria?"

"I'm a student here in town." Aria danced around the truth, she noticed Ezra getting tense next to her.

"Aria's very into literature," Ezra gushed, "She actually came over here to borrow a book of mine."

"Ah, so that's a common interest of you two," Hardy nodded, "Let me guess, you met at a bookstore?"

"You could say that," Aria chimed in.

"Z's always holing up in those places, I tell him he's got to see the world but he never listens." Hardy joked, knocking on Ezra's head.

Ezra shoved Hardy away from him, "Knock it out man," Hardy laughed, and Ezra shot him a glare, "I'm going to go start the mushrooms."

"Need some help?" Aria offered, hopeful to spend some more time with Ezra,

"Oh no, that's fine, you don't have to do that." Ezra said. Hardy fake coughed, and subtly nudged Aria towards the kitchen, "Okay, fine, if you want to." Ezra accepted.

In the kitchen, Ezra got out a tray and set out all the ingredients on his counter.

"Do you want to mix the stuffing, since you're a pro at this?" Ezra suggested in a joking tone, "I'll cut up the mushrooms. It'd be pretty hard to screw that up."

Aria laughed at Ezra's self-mockery, and began to prepare the filling as his recipe suggested.

"So how'd you and Hardy meet?" Aria inquired,

"He was my roommate at Hollis," Ezra explained, "We were put together freshman year and have stuck together ever since."

"That's sweet; it's always nice to have those tight friends." Aria said, thinking of her own Spencer, Hannah, Emily, and. . . Alison, "I'm really glad I have my friends with me through everything."

"You're really lucky to have them; they understand exactly what you're going through." Ezra put his knife down and put his hand on Aria's shoulder.

Aria gasped at his touch, but she didn't pull away. All she could think about was how warm his palm felt. Turning to face him, Aria's eyes met Ezra's. His pupils were enlarged with want, or were that just her wishful thinking? How could something that felt so right be so wrong? Their harsh breathing was the only noise that could be heard in the room. Aria bit her lip, wanting to feel what it would be like to kiss Ezra Fitz. They had been in this position so many times; gazing into each other's eyes. Tension was in the air.

"Ezra," Aria murmured.

"Mmm?" Ezra groaned, his thoughts filled with Aria.

Aria reached her hand out and traced Ezra's collarbone with her finger, "Kiss me." She commanded.

As if Ezra had just been waiting to hear those words, he instantly looped his muscular arm around Aria's waist and tilted her chin up to interlock their lips with the other hand. Their lips fit together perfectly, Aria's lush, full lips intertwining with Ezra's firm smile. Aria lavished in the feel of him. Cautiously, she ran her hands down Ezra's tight stomach, and back up to rest her palms against his chest. They pulled apart, and Aria opened her mouth more before continuing to kiss him. First kisses were normally awkward, and full of fumbles, but nothing had ever felt so natural. There was no feeling better then Ezra's fingers stroking her luscious locks of brown hair, as his tongue circled the entrance of her mouth.

As if he had just woken up from a deep sleep, Ezra gasped and pulled away from Aria and broke the kiss.

"Aria, I'm sorry," Ezra apologized, "I shouldn't have done that."

"Don't ruin this," Aria protested, "I don't care that I'm your student, or about what people might say. They don't have to know. All I care about right now is you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything, Ezra."

Ezra grabbed Aria's hips and fiercely pulled her against him. She exclaimed at the suddenness of his motions.

"We will make this work," Aria promised, and then she kissed him gently. Ezra squeezed her tiny waist with his arms.

A loud crash tore the two apart abruptly.

"Shit." Hardy swore in the other room.

"What is it? Ezra called.

"Nothing, just dropped a six pack." Hardy yelled back, "Don't worry, the beer's fine!"

Ezra and Aria shared a laugh, before Ezra broke apart awkwardly.

"Maybe we should finish making dinner?" He suggested, gesturing towards the unfinished meal. Aria nodded, and they went back to what they were doing, sharing glances with each other the whole time.

"Dinner was great," Hardy said, patting his stomach, "Compliments to the chef."

"Well I couldn't have done it without Aria." Ezra smiled over at her, and Aria felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Ezra, I've had a really great time tonight but I need to leave soon." Aria admitted disappointment in her voice.

"Oh. . . well okay. . ." Ezra spoke with his eyes lingering on Aria, "Do you want to come with me to get your book?"

Aria nodded, and Ezra told Hardy he'd be back in a second. They walked over to the bookshelf in the area of the flat that was designated as Ezra's bedroom. Aria scanned the area as Ezra traced her fingers along the shelf looking for the book. His bed looked so comfortable, and Aria imagined what it would be like to spend the night with Ezra Fitz. A pair of sweatpants was laid out by his pillow. So Ezra slept without a shirt on, eh? Aria wouldn't mind seeing that.

"Here you go," Ezra broke Aria's train of thought. His hand slightly brushed against her fingers as he handed her the book. A shiver went down Aria's spine, "Are you cold? I can give you one of my sweaters for the ride home." Ezra offered.

"I'm okay, thanks Ezra." Aria did admit to herself that it would be nice to be wrapped up in Ezra's sweater, the smell of him lingering on her.

"Just take it," Ezra pushed, "I don't' want you to get sick. Here, I don't even wear this one."

Ezra wrapped a knit sweater around Aria's shoulders. She slid her arms into the sleeves and marveled at the softness of the material.

"Thanks Ezra." Aria smiled as she walked towards the door.

Ezra opened the door for her, and Aria lingered in the doorway. Her eyes flickered towards Hardy, who was watching them with a smirk on his face.

"Um, goodbye." Aria giggled. Ezra gently brushed his hand over Aria's cheek.

"Bye, Aria." Ezra murmured, and shut the door as Aria walked down the hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ezra POV**

"Man, what the _hell_ are you doing!" Hardy yelled the second after Ezra shut the door, "She's clearly way too young for you."

"I know, I know," Ezra sunk against the wall as he spoke, feeling defeated by the situation at hand, "But you saw her, Hardy. She's beautiful, and she's smart, and she's really, _really_ mature for her age."

Ezra exhaled loudly, and thought back to the events of the night. No girl had ever made him feel this way before. Holding her in his arms just felt so right. For the millionth time Ezra found himself questioning how they could be wrong together when nothing had ever made him feel like he belongs somewhere more.

"You've got to get your head out of the clouds," Hardy patted Ezra roughly on the shoulder, "What happens when her parents find out?"

"What happens when the principal finds out?" Ezra mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Hardy screamed, "She's your _student_?"

Ezra hung his head. Of course Hardy would react that way. Everyone was going to react that way.

"Look, Hardy, I know this is coming as a shock to you." Ezra spoke cautiously, "But I love her, I really do. And I really need your support through this."

"Ez, you really got to get it together, man. I'll always be there for you, but I can't respect your decision to get into this."

"I think you should leave, Hardy." Ezra shot back.

Hardy stormed out of the small apartment and slammed the door behind him. Just as Ezra sank down into his couch, his phone chimed, and Ezra moaned as he reached into his pocket to grab it.

_Hardy isn't the only one who will react that way once _

_everyone finds out what- or who- you've been doing._

- _A_

Ezra blinked a few times and then glanced again at the message. There was no way Hardy could have sent him a message that quickly. But it had to have been him. No one else was in the room with him. That was the only way someone would know what had happened. He laid back down on the couch, knowing he had a long week ahead of him.

* * *

Ezra sat at his desk Monday morning. Aria had been a distraction all of class. The casual glances that she through his way seemed so innocent but Ezra knew that they were dangerous. After the bell rang, Ezra stood up and said goodbye to his students as they filed out of the door. Aria stopped in front of him and waited for everyone else to exit the room. Ezra cleared his throat before shutting the door behind him.

"So. . ." Aria smiled coyly up at him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Aria. . ." Ezra moaned, pulling away from her tempting grasp.

"What's wrong?" Aria inquired, taken aback by Ezra's sudden change of character.

"If we're going to do this, we have to be careful." Ezra stated.

"Ezra, we are careful. No one's around, it's okay." Aria protested.

"I know, I'm just worried," Ezra sighed.

"About what?" Aria inquired.

"People knowing." Ezra said. He didn't know how to tell Aria about the text messages. More than that, he wasn't sure if he wanted to. That could scare Aria into leaving him, and no matter how risky their relationship was, Ezra already knew that he couldn't live with himself if he let Aria get away.

"Ezra, what's wrong?" Aria demanded to know.

"I just don't want to hurt you, that's all." Ezra lied. It wasn't really a lie; Ezra didn't want to hurt Aria, but he wasn't exactly telling the truth either.

Aria leaned in to kiss him again, this time he didn't pull away from her. She looked into Ezra's eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm not worried about you doing that." Aria said. Ezra felt his heart jolt at her words. He wasn't the one that would hurt her. It was A, whoever A was.

"I know," Ezra sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Aria chirped, and Ezra felt his heart flutter as Aria leaned in to kiss him and their lips intertwined yet again.

Ezra wrapped his arms around Aria's tiny waist and hoisted her up so she was sitting on his desk, never taking his lips off of hers the entire time. Aria slid her hands up Ezra's neck and tangled her fingers in his hair, drawing a subtle moan from his lips. No one had ever felt so right to Ezra as Aria did. He wanted to take things slow with her, afraid of messing something up and scaring her off. But at the same time his judgment was so clouded around her that he couldn't even think straight.

Every second with Aria felt like a second spent in heaven. Ezra relished in her kisses and squeezed her tightly. He gently traced the inside of her lips with his tongue, and she opened her mouth slightly to let him inside of her. Suddenly, Aria pulled back from Ezra.

"What's wrong?" Ezra asked.

"Ezra," Aria laughed, a sound that was sweet to Ezra's ears, "The bell rang."

"Oh um," Ezra mumbled, "Sorry. Do you want me to write you a note?"

"It's fine," Aria smiled, "I just have study hall. The old bat of a proctor won't even know I was gone."

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked, gently stroking Aria's cheek.

"I'm positive." Aria nodded.

"I'm sorry," Ezra said, "I just get so carried away when I'm with you."  
"Ezra, stop apologizing." Aria teased in a mock-stern voice, "You've done everything perfectly."  
"Sorry," Ezra murmured sheepishly, "Oh um, I mean. . ."

Aria silenced him with a quick kiss, and Ezra sighed as she pulled back from him.

"Goodbye Ezra." Aria smiled.

Ezra watched Aria gracefully walk away from him. She turned around and waved just as she opened the door, and was gone in an instant. Ezra sat down at his desk, a huge smile on his face.

Aria made him happy. There was nothing that could change that. As long as they were careful, Ezra and Aria could be happy together. Ezra wasn't going to let anyone get in between them.

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you liked this Chapter. I know that not a lot is going on but this is going to be a LONG piece so I need a lot of set up. Sorry everyone who wants Aria to be with Jason, let's just say you'll like next chapter better (wink wink) Anyways, 5 reviews and I'll post the next chapter by Friday! Thanks much :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Aria POV**

Aria stared at the pages of "To Kill a Mockingbird", in a daze because of the day's previous events. Even now, sitting in her own home all Aria could think about was Ezra. Next to her three best friends, Ezra was the best thing in her life right now. The best part was that A still didn't know. Aria was going to do everything to keep it that way.

No sound except for the occasional turning of a page could be heard from Aria's bedroom. She was just about halfway through the book when her phone let out that oh-so familiar buzz.

"Damnit." Aria whispered, "Please no."

The text message was from an unfamiliar number, but not an unknown number. A always texted from a blocked number, so Aria decided it was safe to read the message

_Hey Aria! It's Jason. Do you want to come over tonight and we can catch up?_

Aria stared at the screen and hesitated. How did Jason even get her number? She probably just gave it to him a while ago and forgot but it seemed weird that he would randomly start using it. Her fingers hit reply and she was about to decline his offer when her phone buzzed again.

_Go or Mommy and Daddy find out what REALLY happened to Jenna Marshall._

- _A_

Aria gasped as she read the message. The only way A could have known that Jason invited her over was if Jason WAS A. But that was impossible. Jason just got back to Rosewood. A had been in Rosewood since before Ali's body was found. Then there was the Jenna thing. A was always holding that over their heads, taunting them with it. For a good reason, too; no one could know about the Jenna thing.

What harm could going over to Jason's really do? He was probably lonely in Rosewood without his family, and needed a friend. Aria typed a reply to Jason, then stood up and walked over to her closet to look for something to wear other than her ratty sweatpants and oversized t-shirt.

Aria couldn't even remember the last time she went on a date; except she wasn't going on a date now, so she couldn't even wear what she would normally wear on a date. A dress was out of the option. Skirts probably weren't a good idea either. Aria decided on a pair of dark wash jeans with a floral long-sleeved shirt, with brown ankle boots. After putting on minimal makeup, she got into her car to drive away off to Jason's house.

* * *

Aria took a deep breath as she stood outside Jason DiLaurentis's door. The dark color seemed more daunting today as opposed to the cozy feeling that Aria normally got from the house. She took a second to adjust her shirt, then knocked on the door.

"Hey," Jason smiled as he opened the door, "I'm so glad you could come."

"It's good to see you, Jase." Aria said, as she leaned in to hug Jason. Except his embrace didn't feel warm and comforting like it normally did. His arms felt constraining, like they were trapping her. Aria held her breath until Jason released her from his grasp.

"Come on in, dinner's almost ready." Jason gestured towards the kitchen, as if Aria didn't already know where it was.

They stood in silence as Jason stirred the alfredo sauce. Aria leaned against the granite countertop, and looked around the familiar room.

"Not much has changed, has it?" Jason commented, raising an eyebrow at Aria.

"Not at all," Aria gave a non-committal shake of her head, "Looking around here, nothing has changed. But if you look at our lives, everything has changed."

"In some ways it still feels like she's around." Jason didn't have to say her name for Aria to know that Jason meant Alison.

Aria thought for the millionth time about the similarities between A and Ali. Even the initial was the same. Ali had been manipulative and cruel, using their secrets against them. Much like A acts now. Back when the girls first started getting A messages, they had thought A was Ali. But the threatening messages did not stop after Ali's body was found.

"You're telling me." Aria shuddered.

"Are you cold?" Jason asked, "I can get you a jacket or something."

"No I'm fine," Aria smiled, "But thank you."

"Do you want to watch TV while we eat?" Jason offered, " I don't really like eating in the dining room. Too many family memories in there."  
"Yeah of course," Aria agreed, "I completely understand."

* * *

Aria set her bowl down on the end table next to the couch after she finished her pasta.

"That was really good, Jason." She smiled, "Thank you."

"It was just grocery store pasta sauce," Jason brushed off her compliment, "No biggie."

Jason stood up and picked up his and Aria's bowl.

"I have some mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer, want some?" Jason asked.

"That sounds great." Jason knew that mint chocolate chip was Aria's favorite ice cream flavor. She doubted that he just had it by chance, and was touched by his effort to get it for her.

Jason was back in a couple of minutes, and handed Aria another bowl with two scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce.

"Oh look at you, Mr. Fancy-Sundae maker." Aria teased.

Jason laughed at Aria.

"Do you want me to turn on something else? I don't even know what show this is, it seems kind of lame."

"I'm fine with whatever." Aria said. Right now it was one of those hospital dramas. Aria was indifferent towards them.

Jason clicked through a couple of channels until a familiar picture came up on the screen.

"Oh I love this movie." Aria gasped,  
"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Stephen King, Misery." Aria said, eyes glued to the screen.  
"His movies are so creepy." Jason commented.

"Aw, are you scared?" Aria poked at his ribs. Jason grabbed Aria's arms and pinned them to her side.

"Take that back." Jason whispered in a fake gruff voice.

"Never." Aria whispered, giggling.

Jason pulled Aria's arms behind her back and held them there with one hand while tickling her with the other hand. Aria squirmed to get away from him and shook with laughter.

"Let me go!" Aria laughed.

"Never." Jason mimicked Aria's voice.

Aria finally broke away from him and rolled to the other side of the couch. Jason tackled her and she looked up at him with wide eyes. Their breathing was ragged and harsh, and Aria could feel her heart racing.

"Looks like you won." Aria admitted.

"No," Jason shook his head, and leaned down to peck Aria on the lips, "Now I've won."

Jason cupped his hand around the base of Aria's neck and pulled her closer to him in order to kiss her again. His motions were passionate but still felt gentle to Aria. Aria hooked her fingers in the neckline of his shirt and kissed him back. But it didn't feel right. Jason wasn't Ezra. _Ezra._

Aria pushed Jason away from her and tore her lips away from his, leaving Jason hunched over her with a confused expression on his face.

"Jason I'm sorry, I- I can't." Aria tried to explain, "I'm not . . . available."

Jason sat up and tried to smooth his ruffled hair.

"Of course you aren't," He sighed, "I should have been able to guess that. Who is he?"

Aria wanted to explain everything to Jason. She wanted to tell him why she didn't tell him in the first place that she was dating someone. Then there was A. Aria wanted so badly to tell someone about A. But the consequences of him knowing were too great.

"I'm not allowed to tell." Aria blurted out, "I mean . . . we don't want people to know about us yet. Not for a while." _Or ever_, Aria thought to herself.

"Well he's a lucky man." Jason said in a melancholy voice.

"I should go," Aria stood up from the couch.

"I'm sorry." Jason got up and started walking after, "I didn't mean to ruin things between us."

"You didn't." Aria protested, "I just need to be alone right now, okay?"

"Whoever he is, I hope he's wonderful." Jason said.

"He is," Aria smiled sadly, "He really is."

Jason opened the front door for Aria and she walked down the front pathway. When Aria reached the street, she turned around to see Jason standing in the doorway, watching her walk away from him. And he did not look pleased.

**A/N: I know, I'm the worst at updating. But anyways, Jaria fans I hope you love this chapter. More of that to come! Please leave a review, fave and follow!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 (Ezra POV)**

Ezra was stretched out on his couch and had just popped open a beer when he heard a faint knocking on his door. He grunted as he got up, mumbling something about who could possibly need him at this hour. When he opened the door, he had all the intent to reprimand whoever was disturbing him, but his heart softened the second he saw who was behind the door.

"Aria, baby," Ezra cooed when he saw her disheveled figure, she had clearly been crying and was shivering, "What's wrong?"

Aria wiped a tear off her face, smearing her mascara as she did so. She choked as she let out a small sob, and Ezra reached his arms around her and pulled her close.

"How are we ever going to make this work?" Aria asked, "If no one can know about us, how can this work?"

"We know about us," Ezra said firmly, and he lifted her chin up to look him in the eye as he held her waist firmly with his other arm, "And that should be enough for both of us."

"That didn't stop Jason DiLaurentis from kissing me." Aria blurted out.

"Jason DiLaurentis needs to fuck off." Ezra spat Jason's name out, "Because right now, you are mine. And I'm the one that gets to kiss you whenever I want, without anyone stopping me."

Ezra bent down and crushed his lips onto Aria's. She drew in a sharp breath at the sudden movement, and then melted in his arms. Ezra held Aria as tightly as he could without crushing her, cherishing every moment he had with her. His tongue gently wandered over Aria's lips, which always had the sweetest taste to him. All Ezra could ever think about was Aria. Even now, when he had Aria in his arms, between his lips, Ezra could think only of how much he wanted to be with Aria. He knew his feelings were undeniable. Ezra pulled back for a moment and looked at Aria,

"I know this is sudden," Ezra said, his breathing unsteady, "But I can't deny it any longer. Aria, I love you."

Aria was silent for a moment, then intertwined her lips with Ezra's yet again.

"I love you too," Aria murmured in between kisses, "So, so much."

Ezra sucked on Aria's bottom lip as they stumbled blindly towards his bed. The back of his knee hit the quilt covering it and he fell backwards, dragging Aria with him. They were both lying on the bed, giggling and kissing each other. Ezra rolled over so he was on top of Aria as their tongues traced over each other.

Ezra slid his hand up Aria's shirt and ran his palm over the smooth skin of her back. Aria responded by reaching her hands to his shirt and undoing the buttons. Once she had his shirt halfway off, Ezra realized what they were doing, and he pulled away.

"Wait," He said, "Aria stop. We can't. . ."

Aria looked at Ezra with an expression that he couldn't read, "What? Ezra I thought you felt the same way about me."

"Aria," Ezra sighed, "This isn't about how I feel about you. I love you, and I want you so badly, but this is about what's right. You're a minor, and my student. No matter how much I would like to, I can't sleep with you."

As much as Aria wished he wasn't, she knew Ezra was right, "I wish we could have met years from now, when I was out of high school and this wouldn't be so complicated."

"Do you?" Ezra asked, "Do you really? Because I don't. As hard is this is, I need you in my life now, not three years down the road."

"But. . . we could just be together outright. . . if only. . ." Aria's voice trailed off.

"We will be together with no complications someday," Ezra promised, "But the complications don't mean anything compared to how I feel about you. You made me trust again. You opened my eyes to what love really is."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked.

Ezra exhaled, and wrapped his arm around Aria, pulling her close to him, "Before I met you, I was with someone else. Her name was Jackie, and I thought I loved her. But I didn't. She didn't love me either. She cheated on me, with my brother. I didn't think I'd ever make it out of the slump she had left me in. But I moved to Rosewood, and I met you. The second I saw your eyes I knew that it was never meant to work out between me and Jackie. You're the one I'm supposed to be with."

"Wow," Aria said, "Ezra I had no idea."

"I've never told anyone that before," Ezra admitted, "Not even Hardy knows the real reason that we broke up."

Aria nestled her head in the crook of Ezra's neck, and they just sat in silence. Ezra breathed in the smell of her hair, and detected the slightest hint of raspberry shampoo. Everything about her was sweet and luscious, even the smell of her hair. Nothing could change the way that he felt about her.

But even as they sat together with Ezra feeling the happiest that he had felt in a long time, his mind wandered to the one thought that had been occupying his brain. Who was A? What did they want from him and Aria? He knew that he should tell Aria about the message he had gotten. But he couldn't bring himself to do that. That would hurt Aria, and he couldn't bear the thought of her upset.

Ezra was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Aria move against him.

"Ez, it's late, I really need to go home before my parents start to worry." Aria said apologetically.

Ezra looked at the clock next to his bed, it was already eleven thirty, "Can you stay the night?" He asked, "Have on of your friends cover for you?"

"I'll try." Aria smiled.

She pulled out her phone and sent a few text messages, then looked up at Ezra with the sweetest face.

"I'm yours for the night." She laughed.

Ezra pulled Aria closer to him and kissed her as gently as he could.

"I love you so much." He said.

**A/N: Sorry if anyone wanted some Ezria action in this chapter, I know that might have been a let down. It will happen eventually, and more than once, I promise. But I do want this to have a really good plot as well, and I don't want it to just be one of those "fuck me" fanfics. I'll try to be updating more often. Do you guys want me to put Jackie in this at all? I was thinking it could be interesting, but I'm not sure. Anyways, leave a review and follow if you like it, I love feedback! -K**


	10. Chapter 10

**Aria POV**

Aria woke up to Ezra's lips dancing over her neck.

"Mmm," Aria moaned, "Ezra."

She half opened her eyes enough to gain her bearings and pull Ezra into her for a kiss. Ezra cupped Aria's face in his hands and looked into her eyes,  
"I could stay here forever," He doted, "But we need to go to school."

"Oh," Aria mumbled, in a daze, "School."

Aria sat up quickly, "Shit. School. I've got to go."

"Stay." Ezra said, "You can use my shower and borrow one of my shirts. I don't want you to go."

Aria laughed and kissed Ezra, "Lucky for you, I don't want to go either."

* * *

Aria emerged from Ezra's bathroom wearing one of his flannels, which engulfed her tiny frame, and the same pair of jeans she had worn the previous day. Her hair was pulled into a side braid, and she had no makeup on, but to Ezra she was still the most beautiful girl in the world. Ezra had gotten a shower before her and was already dressed in a button down with a tie and a quarter zip sweater. His khakis were wrinkled and his hair was sticking up on one side, and Aria realized that they probably looked like the most disheveled couple in the world.

"We still have some time to kill," Ezra said, "Do you want to stop at The Brew and grab some coffee?"

"What if someone sees us?" Aria asked.

"There's nothing wrong with a teacher meeting with his student before school to discuss a book report, is there?" Ezra raised an eyebrow mischievously at Aria.

Aria giggled, and kissed Ezra, thinking that she wished she could spend every night with him.

* * *

Aria and Ezra made sure to arrive at class separately, but they couldn't help stealing glances at each other as Ezra lectured the tired group of high school students. Aria only tore her gaze away when she felt a pencil jab into her ribcage, and turned to see Hanna, Spencer, and Emily staring at her.

"Who's shirt is that?" Hanna whispered.

"My brother's." Aria turned away quickly.

"Um, since when did Mike's clothing fit you like that?" Spencer demanded, "He's practically as scrawny as you are."

"Maybe he got it to grow into?" Aria defended.

"Fine," Hanna sniffed, "Don't tell us."

"She'll tell us what she feels comfortable sharing with us." Emily said.

"Thank you." Aria whispered.

"Ladies?" Ezra's voice broke their conversation, "Something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Aria?" Hanna smirked.

"No sir," Aria blushed, and Ezra tried not to burst out laughing.

"Okay," He said, "Try not to. . ._get distracted_ girls."

The four girls nodded, and Ezra went back to teaching. Hanna wrote something down in her notebook, and tore out a scrap of paper to pass to Aria.

_How could we not get distracted with him as our teacher? Damn! How many squats do I have to do for my butt to look that good?_

Spencer snatched the note before Aria could reply.

_Hanna! He's our teacher, that's so wrong! _She wrote on the back. Aria and Emily leaned over to look at the note before Spencer handed it back to Hanna.

_How could something that wrong look so right?_ Hanna passed back to Spencer.

Aria resisted the urge to yell at Hanna to back off as she read over Spencer's shoulder. She couldn't afford to show jealousy. Thankfully, the bell rang before Hanna could make any more crude comments about Ezra and Aria no longer had the willpower to refrain from ripping her head off.

Like she had gotten so used to, Aria lingered in Ezra's classroom as everyone else filed out. She waited for the last stragglers to leave, before shutting the door.

"Sorry about my friends," She said, "You're so lucky you're not a girl. I can't even wear a man's shirt without getting the fourth degree!"

Ezra laughed, "Maybe I should have given you a smaller shirt, from back in the college days. But you look adorable in that, so maybe not."

"Wait a second," Aria giggled, "You were scrawny in college?"

"I was little nerdy Ezra Fitz from middle school up until halfway through my junior year in college." Ezra admitted.

"I refuse to believe that you were ever little," Aria said, stepping closer to Ezra.

"And why is that?" Ezra asked.

"Because you have the most beautiful muscles I have ever laid eyes on," Aria smirked, "And, by the way, Hanna wants to know how many squats she has to do to get an ass as nice as yours."

Aria's voice dropped to a lower, more sultry octave as she closed the gap between her and Ezra and slowly slid her hands in his back pocket.

"Mmm," Ezra groaned at Aria's touch, "Well you'll have to tell Hanna that I have a girlfriend next time she asks, and that staring is all she'll ever be able to do to me. Or just show her a picture of me from high school."

Aria smiled at the word girlfriend. That meant Ezra was her boyfriend. Of all the boys that Aria had dated, Aria was definitely most proud that Ezra was her boyfriend. But she couldn't show him off.

"I want to see one of these high school pictures," Aria giggled, "Except then I would feel obliged to show you one of my middle school pictures. Those are awful."

"What was so bad about you in middle school?" Ezra asked.

"Two words," Aria said stonily, "Pink. Hair."

Ezra tried to stifle his laughter, "I'm sure you still looked adorable."

"It wasn't just that," Aria laughed, "I dressed so weird. It was terrible. Nobody liked me. Except. . . except for. . ."

"Except for who?" Ezra asked, when Aria trailed off.

"Jason." Aria's tone of voice suddenly became less happy.

"Who is this Jason guy anyways?" Ezra asked.

"Well, he's Alison's brother." Aria said, "And we sort of had this thing back when I was really young. But not actually, we just made out once, and he was under the influence of god knows what, so I thought it didn't mean anything. But I guess not."

"So you've always had a thing for older men," Ezra joked, "Look, don't worry about it Aria. I don't blame him for liking you, and I trust you not to do anything with him. Sorry to bring it up, I know you're really upset about what happened."

Aria kissed Ezra quickly, "It's just that. . . he's known me longer than almost anyone. I just wish I could tell him about us, because I don't want to hurt him."

"We can't tell anyone, Aria." Ezra said, "You know that just as well as I do. Don't worry though, I'm sure things will clear up between you two."

Aria just nodded, not quite agreeing with Ezra but also not wanting to continue the conversation. Ezra bent down to kiss Aria, and she kissed him back, with more passion than the first time she had kissed him in the classroom that day. Suddenly, Ezra pulled back.

"Don't you have a class to get to?" He asked.

"Study hall," Aria murmured, "Remember?"

"I love study hall." Ezra laughed, and then bent back down to kiss Aria.

**A/N: I'm really sorry it's been almost a month since I updated this! I didn't mean for it to be that long I just had exams and was traveling which gave me really bad writers block. Anyways, I hope this chapter was worth it! Who's excited for the Season Premiere tonight? Because I am! I really hope Ezria gets back together. Anyways, please leave a review and follow if you liked it, love you guys! -Kat**


	11. Chapter 11

Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer all sat at their usual lunch table, eating salads that Hanna had brought them from Rive Gauche during her free period.

"You know," Hanna broke the silence, "I thought I would have gotten used to how cute Mr. Fitz is by now, but I'm still paying attention in English class just so I have an excuse to look at him."

"Oh my god, Hanna." Aria groaned.

"I know!" Spencer ignored Aria's discontempt, "When he called us out for not paying attention today I almost died, I thought for sure he was going to take the notes we were writing!"

"You guys really should be more careful." Emily warned them. Aria nodded in agreement.

"Do you think he'd have sex with one of his students?" Hanna wondered out loud.

"Oh my god," Aria, Spencer, and Emily gasped in unison, "You can't say stuff like that!"

Hanna shrugged her shoulders and laughed. Aria felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and pulled it out to look at it, while her friends continued their conversation.

_You know what happens when teachers sleep with their students._

_ -A_

Aria stood up abruptly, causing Hanna, Spencer, and Emily to turn towards her.

"I um," Aria stammered, "I forgot I have to make up a test. I'll see you guys later."

They all watched Aria run out of the cafeteria and down the hallway, until she was out of sight. Aria continued to run all the way to Ezra's classroom, where he was grading old papers and eating lunch. He looked up as she entered, a disheveled expression on her face.

"Aria?" He asked, "Is everything okay?"

Aria shook her head, "I need to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong?" Ezra stood up and walked over to Aria to hold her hands in his.

"It's about my family," Aria said, "My dad."

Ezra thought back to the night when he joined the Montgomery family for dinner, back when he had first met Aria. He remembered noticing tension between Aria with her dad, and forgetting to ask her about it. Now he wished he had, because Aria was clearly holding something in that was upsetting her.

"You can tell me anything," Ezra assured her.

Aria took a breath, "The summer before Ali disappeared, she and I hung out all the time. One day, we were walking home after getting ice cream, and we saw my dad's car parked in some driveway. We went to get a closer look, and he was with another woman. My dad cheated on my mom."

"Have you told anyone?" Ezra asked.

Aria shook her head, "I never talked about it with anyone but Ali. But someone else knows, and I don't know what I'm going to do. It's going to kill my mom if she finds out, and I can't keep lying to her, because that's going to make it worse."

"Aria," Ezra pulled her closer to him and looked her in the eye, "It's not your fault. You can't feel guilty for keeping this a secret. If your mom finds out, she finds out and there's nothing you can do about it."

Ezra hugged Aria and stroked her hair with one hand. She closed her eyes as she leaned against his chest.

"I'll be here for you no matter what happens," Ezra promised.

Aria pulled back and looked at him, "I love you."

He bent down to kiss her. Their kiss was different this time. Ezra felt closer to Aria than he did before. He felt better knowing she confided in him and no longer had to carry around a secret on her own.

"I love you too. Thank you for telling me that," Ezra murmured, "I don't want you to feel alone."

"I'll never feel alone if I have you," Aria smiled, "I mean it."

"You should go back to lunch, you spend too much time with me during the day," Ezra teased, "But come over tonight. We can talk more."

Aria nodded, "Okay, I'll see you tonight."

She kissed him quickly before walking out of the classroom. While walking down the hallway, Aria was in such a happy daze from talking to Ezra that she almost didn't notice Jason walking towards her.

"Jason!" She exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just picking up some of Ali's old stuff from the office," Jason said, "What about you, why are you in the hallway right now? Is everything okay?"

Aria nodded, "Yeah, I was just having some family problems."

"Do you need someone to talk to?" Jason offered.

"Thank you," Aria said, "But I already did talk to someone."

Jason's face darkened, "Was it him?"

"Yes." Aria nodded.

"Can I meet this nameless person?" Jason asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Aria said.

"Why, because I tried to kiss you?" Jason demanded to know.

"Look, Jason." Aria sighed, "I used to really like you when I was younger. But so much has happened since then. I'm with someone else now, and we don't want to complicate our relationship by letting other people know we're together. I'm flattered that you like me, but it's not going to work."

"I've loved you ever since I met you," Jason said, "And I'll love you for longer than any other man will. I'll always be here for you, Aria."

"Thank you Jason," Aria stammered. His words were kind, but his tone of voice was unnerving. Suddenly, Aria no longer wanted to be alone in the hallway with him. She turned to walk away when he called after her.

"Aria wait, please don't shut me out," He grabbed her arm, "I can't lose you too."

Aria looked at Jason and saw the hurt in his eyes. In that moment, she realized he had already been through so much. All the questioning from the cops, Ali's funeral, and the gossip and stares of people wherever he went in Rosewood.

"Jason I'm so sorry," Aria whispered, "I don't want to hurt you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood in the middle of the hallway hugging Jason for a long time. Jason sighed, and she released her grip on him.

"I know you could never intentionally hurt anyone," Jason said.

"Jason. . ." Aria searched for the right words to say.

"It's okay Aria," Jason's tone was unconvincing, "You can go now."

Aria turned and walked away, her heart heavy in her chest. There would always be a part of her that saw Jason as her first real crush. But she loved Ezra, and as much as she didn't want Jason to be alone, her own happiness was also important. About halfway down the hallway, Aria turned to look at Jason, and she realized that he was already gone.

**A/N: LEAVE A REVIEW! LEAVE A REVIEW! LEAVE A REVIEW! Okay, I normally don't say things to specific reviewers because you all are so nice and I love you equally, but a guest by the name of Olivia Riggs left me the sweetest comment and I want to say thank you, so if you're reading this Olivia thank you so much! I really love all of your feedback though so thank you for being so kind and supportive, I'll try to update as soon as possible. Love, Kathryn.**


	12. Chapter 12

Ezra was in his apartment anticipating Aria's arrival. To him, anticipating meant cleaning every possible inch that he could. It was a tiny apartment, but that meant a lot of clutter and a lot of dust. Even though Aria had been over to his apartment before, they hadn't quite been dating yet when she had come over that time. Now he felt the need to gain her approval.

His kitchen counter was spotless, all the ingredients in their proper place. For once, the bed was made and his clothes were folded nicely in the dresser next to it. His bathroom didn't have water spots on the floor, and there were no beer bottles sitting around the couch. Ezra was just organizing his bookshelf when his phone let out a small beep in his pocket. Thinking the message was from Aria, he smiled and retrieved it.

That doesn't look like "nothing happened", does it? What else is she lying about?

-A

Ezra viewed the picture that was attached to the message and almost dropped his phone. It was a picture of Aria a few years younger than she was now. Jason DiLaurentis was on top of her; their mouths were against each other. Aria was digging her nails into Jason's bare back. His hands were pushing her tank top up, and his back was arched at her touch.

Ezra tried not to stare at the picture as he sank back against his couch. He couldn't believe that someone had a picture of this. It was so perverted; he didn't even want to think about what happened after this picture was taken. Mostly, he felt betrayal that Aria had lied to him. It didn't even matter that she had sex with Jason. He had sex with Jackie, it wasn't that big of a deal. But he just couldn't stand not being able to trust the person he loved more than anything.

Ezra loved Aria a thousand times more than he loved Jackie. If being hurt by Jackie felt like a hundred daggers to his heart, then Aria's lie felt like ten thousand daggers to his heart. He wasn't sure how to react; he was angry and upset and Aria would be over in an hour.

After the initial shock wore off, Ezra got up and walked to the kitchen. He went to his pantry closet, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. Slowly, he poured the liquid into a clear glass and took a drink. The burn down his throat felt better than any of the emotions going on in his head right now. Ezra took the bottle, went back to his couch, and drank.

Ezra was on his fourth glass when he heard a knock at the door. He let the glass, got up, and stumbled over to the door. Naturally, Aria was on the other side.

"Get out." Ezra slurreed, and went to slam the door.

Aria stopped the door from closing, and walked inside, towards Ezra who was retreating to the sofa. He turned around and glared at her, the rage apparent in his eyes.

"I said get out!" His voice was louder this time, and Aria was taken aback.

"Ezra what's wrong?" Aria's eyes wandered to the whiskey bottle and empty glass on the table by Ezra's couch. She reached out to touch his shoulder, "Have you been drinking?"

"Don't touch me!" Ezra snapped, "How could you lie to me like that?"

Aria was confused with Ezra's anger towards her, "Lie to you like what? Ezra what are you talking about?"

"Don't stand there and pretend you don't know!" Ezra yelled, "I've told you everything about me, I need to be able to trust you!"

"You can trust me!" Tears welled up in Aria's eyes, "I have told you everything!"

"No you haven't." Ezra shook his head, "I need you to leave, now."

Ezra went to pour himself another glass of whiskey, and gestured towards the door as he did so.

"You know what," Aria said, "Talk to me when you're not drunk off your ass. Or don't. I don't care. Because you're talking to me, but you're not communicating a single word to me."

Aria stormed out, trying to put on a brave face, but the second the door shut she broke down sobbing. Even as she drove away, she continued to wipe away tears. It was raining outside, and between the droplets on her window and the tears, Aria could barely see a thing, but she knew where she was going enough not to need to see.

Aria parked her car in the driveway and walked up to the door. It was raining hard enough that by the time she rang the doorbell she was already soaked. She had time to wipe away her tears before Jason answered the door.

"Aria!" He exclaimed, a smile growing on his face, "What are you doing here?"

Aria didn't answer. Instead, she crushed her lips against his with such a strong amount of force that he would have fallen backwards if Aria was larger. Jason gasped at first, and stiffened with shock, but seconds later he relaxed and closed his eyes along with Aria. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he had many times before, and pulled her into the house.

Something inside Jason made him stop as Aria tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed herself up against him.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" He asked, when Aria looked up at him.

Aria shook her head, and tears welled up in her eyes, "He broke up with me. Don't ask me why, I don't know what I did but he's really mad at me for something."

Jason wrapped his arms back around Aria's tiny frame and pulled her against him. Her head fit perfectly under his chin, and Jason rubbed his hand along her back as Aria choked out a small sob.

"Shhh," He whispered, "It's okay. I'm sorry Mr. Fitz broke up with you."

Aria pulled back quickly, "How'd you know I was dating him?"

"I saw the way you two looked at each other when we all ran into each other at the bookstore, and then when you said you were dating someone and keeping it private I just assumed. . ." Jason explained.

Aria nodded and licked her lips uncomfortably. Jason stepped closer to her, and wiped away the tears that had fallen out of her eyes.

"Look, Aria, I'm sorry for bringing it up, I didn't mean to upset you." Jason apologized.

"It's okay Jason." Aria forced a smile, "I finally realized he wasn't the right one for me. I need to be with someone who I know loves me, and that's you."

Jason reached for Aria's hands, and bent down to kiss her gently.

"Do you have a car?" He asked, "Or do you need me to take you home?"

"Yeah it's parked outside," Aria said, "But um, I was wondering if I could stay here tonight? I told my parents I was going to be at Spencer's so I could stay at his place and I don't really want to go home and lie about why I'm there."

"Of course you can," Jason smiled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin what just happened. I've waited for you for so long and I was shocked when you showed up."

Aria leaned closer to him, "Sorry to keep you waiting." She whispered.

Jason kissed Aria again. She felt so good in his arms and against his lips, he had never wanted anything more in his life than what he had right now. This time, Aria was the one gently touching Jason's lower lip with her tongue. Jason parted his lips and their tongues traced gently over each other. His hands slid down Aria's back, until he was cupping Aria's butt in his hands. She sucked in a sharp breath and let it out with a moan as he squeezed it and pulled her closer until she was pressed up against him as much as possible. Still, he wanted more contact with her.

Jason moved his hands further down Aria's leg and picked her up in one fluid motion. Her legs were now wrapped around his middle, just resting above his jeans. Aria pulled back, and Jason opened his eyes to make sure he hadn't screwed something up by moving too fast.

"Bedroom?" She asked, her eyes meeting his for approval.

Jason's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded as Aria moved her lips to his neck, and sucked on the spot of skin just below his jaw. Jason groaned as he stumbled towards the stairs, blind with ecstasy, and began to walk up to his bedroom.

**A/N: Well I sure left you guys hanging didn't I ;) Wonder what happens next? I'm writing the next chapter right now, so leave a review and follow this if you like it and I'll update as soon as possible!**


	13. Chapter 13

Jason put Aria down on the king size bed in the master bedroom that he now claimed as his, and laid down on top of her. He continued to kiss her with as much passion as possible, while still trying to be gentle with her. In his mind he knew he should move slower, but he had waited so long for her and he didn't want her to slip out of his grasp while she was here now, with him.

Cautiously, Jason began the fateful move of grazing his fingertips over the skin beneath Aria's shirt. This time, she responded by moaning in pleasure, instead of freezing and pulling away. He pushed her shirt up, so her stomach was completely exposed. Jason broke away from their everlasting kiss and kissed the exposed skin, starting near her hipbones and working his way up to her ribcage. Aria gasped and gripped Jason's hair tightly. When Jason reached Aria's shirt, he pulled it completely over her head and discarded it on the floor next to his bed.

Jason paused, "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine." Aria whispered, "Don't stop, please."

Jason took a second to stare at Aria's body. Her skin was creamy white, and her flat stomach was soft and feminine. Aria's breasts rose and fell, with each excited breath she took. Her bra was the only thing covering her chest, and Jason could feel himself becoming excited at the sight of her. Aria smiled nervously at Jason, and reached up to stroke his jawline with her hand, tracing circles over the mark that was beginning to form from where her lips had been moments earlier.

Aria pulled Jason down closer to her, and began to kiss the other side of his neck. Jason groaned, and gripped Aria's hips tightly. He turned his head so that their lips met once again, and Aria moved her hands down Jason's back. Immediately, Jason pulled his shirt off.

"Oh my god," Aria gasped.

"What?" Jason cocked his head, "Is everything okay?"

Aria ran her hands over Jason's perfectly toned stomach, "You're perfect."

Jason couldn't help himself but blush as Aria fondled him in awe. She traced her finger down his abs, past his belly button, and hooked her fingers into the edge of his jeans. Giggling, Aria pulled Jason into a kiss, and his growing bulge was pressed against her. Aria began to fumble with the button on Jason's jeans, and he reached down to help her discard them. Just as quickly as he removed his jeans, Jason tugged Aria's jean down as well.

Both of them were in nothing but their underwear. Jason ran his hands over Aria's body, with her gazing up at him nervously. He kissed down her neck, and stopped just above her breasts. As he stopped, he reached his hands around Aria's back, and undid the clasp on her bra. His lips moved slowly down as he moved the fabric away. Jason gently kissed one over her exposed nipples, and Aria shivered with pleasure. Jason smiled up at her, happy to be able to please her.

"Do you have protection?" Aria asked shyly.

Jason stretched over to his bedside table, and shuffled around in a drawer until he retrieved a foil square. He gently ran his hand up and down the inside of Aria's thighs, and up to the black panties that she had on. He pulled his hands away, and buried his face in them and sighed.

Aria propped herself up on her elbows, "Jason? Is everything okay?"

"No." Jason shook his head, "I can't do this."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Jason sighed, "No Aria, you're perfect, and that's why I can't let you do this."

"Jason I want this." Aria argued.

"I don't think you want this like I do," Jason said, "Not for the right reasons."

Aria bit her lip, "What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to fuck me just to get back at your boyfriend." Jason spat out.

"Do you really think that about me?" Aria asked.

"That's not what I meant." Jason looked at Aria with pleading eyes.

"It sure sounded like it." Aria sat up and crossed her arms, as if she suddenly became aware of how exposed she was to Jason.

"What happens tomorrow when he gives you some perfect explanation for why he said what he said to you? Will you go running back to him?" Jason asked with an accusatory tone.

Aria sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Jason gripped his hair and pressed his lips together tightly.

"You don't know, do you?" Jason said, "Well I do."

"Jason I-I. . ." Aria stammered.

"No!" Jason rose his voice, "You love him, not me! Don't pretend like a part of you didn't want to sleep with me just so he would find out and feel like an asshole for breaking up with you! I know you well enough to know that you'll regret this in the morning and I'll be the one that looks like a jerk when he's the one that can't treat you right."

Aria brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, "Jason please stop yelling at me."

Jason looked at Aria curled up in a ball; her bottom lip was shaking and he could tell she was trying hard not to cry. That wasn't what he wanted, he wanted her to be happy. Jason cautiously touched her, and began to rub her bare back with his palm.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, "I'm sorry if I just ruined things between us again."

Aria remained in the same position, not saying a word as Jason wrapped his arms around her and began to stroke her hair.

"I'm going to go get you something to wear." Jason murmured.

Aria nodded as Jason got up and rummaged through his dresser. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants, and then walked over to Aria holding a long sleeved navy blue shirt. Jason handed it to her, and she put the shirt on slowly, not looking at him the whole time. Aria stood up and began to walk towards the door.

Jason touched her shoulder, "Where are you going?"

"Guest room." Aria murmured.

"Stay here." Jason pulled her closer to him, "Please. I'm sorry."

Aria allowed Jason to lead her back towards the bed. He pulled the black silky sheets down, and they both crawled beneath them. Jason hugged Aria and she nuzzled his neck gently.

"So much has happened between us." Jason said, his voice low and gentle.

He could feel Aria take in a sharp breath, and she began to shake. Jason lifted her chin up and saw tears running down her face.

"Hey there," He cooed, "Don't cry, please Aria."

"I'm sorry," Her voice shook, "It's just I've never gone that far with anyone before and I just threw myself at you tonight and you probably think that I- that. . . I'm some kind of a. . ."

Jason stroked Aria's hair, "No baby, I could never thing anything bad about you."

"It's not just that," Aria cried, "I've put you through so much, and I don't deserve you."

"You're hurting. We all are. Don't blame yourself." Jason kissed Aria's forehead, "Go to sleep sweetheart. We can talk in the morning."

With Jason's arms clutching her tightly, almost like they were holding her together, Aria fell asleep. He stayed awake long after she did, listening to her inhale and exhale, hoping that tomorrow she would still feel the same way about him.

* * *

**A/N: Review maybe? Especially cause I'm nice and put this up so soon after the last one? I realize that Aria cries a lot in this and I'm kinda sorry about that if you think I'm making her seem weak and easy to break. I know she's a strong character but due to the circumstances she's evidently going through a lot. Sorry Jaria fans! I couldn't let Aria make that mistake. Two more chapter and something really exciting happens, but I won't tell you what it is! Stay tuned lovelies xxx**


	14. Chapter 14

Aria woke up in an unfamiliar bed the second day in a row with Jason gently shaking her.

"Good morning," He smiled at her, and handed her a cup, "I poured you a cup of coffee."

Aria sat up and took the cup from him, "Thank you Jason."

He sat down on the bed next to her and watched her sip the coffee. Aria smiled at him as their eyes met, and she lazily ran her hand through her hair, trying to smooth it out.

Jason cleared his throat, "So um, when do you need to be at school?"

"Doesn't matter, I'm not going." Aria shrugged

"Don't be ridiculous," Jason said sternly, "You have to go."

"Not really. I can show up late, I have English first period."

"Get up." Jason frowned, "I'm driving you to your house so you can shower and get dressed and then you're going to school or I'm calling your parents."

Aria pouted, "You wouldn't actually call my parents, would you? Are you really going to make me go have class with him today?"

Jason cupped Aria's cheek in his hand, "You have to face him eventually sweetheart. Better make it now and be the bigger person."

Aria sighed and came out from under the warm safety of the blankets on Jason's bed. He smiled knowing that she got up because of him. Then his eyes wandered to her very exposed leg. His shirt didn't even go halfway down her thigh, and when she walked, it threatened to reveal even more, taunting him as she moved. Jason gulped as Aria turned back and walked towards where he sat, and she straddled him. Her lips met his briefly, and Jason's heart skipped a beat in that moment.

"Thank you." Aria looked into his eyes, "No matter what happens, just remember that you're the one I came to last night."

Jason kissed Aria back, slower this time. They lingered on each other's lips for a while, until Jason mustered up some self control. He stood up, pulling Aria with him.

Jason eyed Aria, "Remind me never to give you one of my shirts again, you're too tempting in it."

"Maybe that's a good thing." Aria smiled.

* * *

Aria was pulling out her notes for English class, trying to process her emotions. She was torn over Ezra's sudden hatred for her, but at the same time a door had been opened for her and Jason. It would be easy for her to say she loved Jason; she'd known him for so long and the feelings she had for him had always been buried in the back of her mind. But it didn't feel right to say that she loved him.

"Hey, Aria." Hanna leaned over, "Did we have homework last night?"

"I honestly don't remember Han," Aria sighed.

Spencer shot them a look, "Of course we don't have homework. We have that book report due Friday, remember?"

Aria and Hanna groaned in unison, and a look of worry grew upon Emily's face.

"I have an important meet this week," Emily said, "I wish it was next week instead of this week."

"I wish it was never." Aria made a face.

"Someone forgot to drink her coffee this morning." Spencer joked.

"You okay Aria?" Emily asked, noticing the distant look on Aria's face.

A wave of silence washed over the chatting classroom as Mr. Fitz walked in. He wrote the date up on the board behind him then turned back to face the classroom. Aria looked at him, and he glared back at her.

"Do his eyes look red to you?" Hanna asked in a hushed voice.

Emily shushed her, "It's probably just allergies."

"He looks hungover." Aria commented bitterly.

"Don't say that." Spencer warned, "He could get in trouble."

Aria rolled her eyes, "Yeah well, maybe it's true."

"How would you know?" Hanna asked.

All three girls turned to Aria who was staring blankly back at them. Ezra cleared his throat at the front of the classroom.

"Well class," He said, "Your book reports on the Great Gatsby due this Friday, which I'm hoping means you all have read it by now."

Murmurs echoed throughout the classroom before he continued to speak, "So I've decided we're going to watch the movie today. Don't write your report on the movie, I will know."

After students all gave their unneeded approval and the movie was playing, Ezra sank down in his seat. Aria searched his face for any sign of forgiveness, but all she saw was exhaustion and anger.

Hanna leaned over in her seat, "Sounds like someone was too drunk to even make a lesson plan last night."

"I told you so." Aria said.

Ezra looked at Aria, "Miss Montgomery, if you're not going to pay attention in my class then get out."

All eyes turned to Aria, and she glared back at Ezra with a fury much too great to even be able to form words. Once everyone else in the class seemed to experience short term memory loss, the girls looked at Aria for an explanation.

"What was that all about?" Spencer whispered.

Aria shook her head in confusion, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. She concentrated on the TV screen, not really processing the movie but needing something to focus on other than the humiliation and anger she felt. Finally, after what seemed like the longest period of her life, the bell rang. Aria barely waited for her friends to leave before turning around to face Ezra.

"What the hell was that?" Aria hissed, "You don't get to act like an asshole towards me, not after what you did."

"After what I did?" Ezra said, "You fucked Jason DiLaurentis."

Aria fumed, "No I didn't."

"Then how do you explain this?" Ezra pulled his phone out and showed Aria the picture that he could not bring himself to delete.

"Ezra. . . who sent this to you?" Aria stammered, even though she already knew before asking.

"It doesn't matter!" Ezra said, "You lied to me, even after I opened up to you."

"I didn't lie to you Ezra! I never slept with Jason, I left seconds after that picture was taken." Aria tried to explain.

"Then why would someone send it to me?" Ezra asked, sounding defeated.

Aria took a breath, "I don't have time to talk about this right now."

When Aria turned to walk away, Ezra grabbed her arm.

"Don't walk away. Tell me what this is about." His voice was low.

"I can't talk about this here!" Aria plead.

"Why not?" Ezra asked, "Is someone threatening you?"

Aria shook her head, "I'll tell you everything but I can't do it here and now. We need to be somewhere alone, and I mean really alone."

"Come to my apartment tonight, please. I know somewhere we can go."

Aria nodded and then walked out of the classroom. This time, Ezra let her go. As she left, Ezra thought about A for the millionth time and realized that maybe he wasn't the primary target of these messages. Whoever A was, they had tried to break up the most important relationship of his life, maybe even succeeded, and he was not okay with that.

* * *

**A/N: How do you guys feel about this chapter? I had trouble writing it, but I think it says what I want it to. Next chapter is so so so exciting. If I get 5+ reviews I'll update by Friday. Kisses! Xx**


	15. Chapter 15

Somehow, despite telling herself she never would end up back with him, Aria was sitting next to Ezra as he drove his truck down a long, winding road a night. They hadn't said a single word to each other since beginning the drive, and Aria was trying to formulate the words to tell him about A and everything she had been through because of them.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked, as they passed another unfamiliar road sign.

"A place I used to come whenever I needed to clear my head in college," Ezra said, "No one ever goes there. We'll be safe to talk."

Aria wondered how Ezra could be so understanding of something that he didn't even know was happening. He was right about no one venturing out to where they were going; Aria had only seen headlights of another car behind them once the entire trip, and they were far off in the distance. Ezra turned his truck down a dirt road, and stopped it once they reached an empty lot that was surrounded by woods.

"Do you want to sit in the back?" Ezra asked, gesturing towards the empty truck bed with one hand as he removed the keys with the other.

Aria nodded, "That's fine."

Ezra helped Aria up into the bed, and they sat leaning against the cab. Aria had her knees curled up to her chest, and was staring at the darkness around them. Their bodies were inches apart, and Aria could feel Ezra's body heat from where she sat.

Ezra reached out to touch Aria's hand, "Tell me everything sweetheart."

"You already know about Alison." Aria said, "And how my dad cheated on my mom."

"But what does that have to do with you and Jason DiLaurentis?" Ezra asked.

"After I came back from Iceland, and they found Ali's body, I was with my friends at the funeral. We all got texts from someone named A. We had all gotten them before, but we thought it was Ali. That's not possible though. . . because. . ." Aria trailed off.

"Alison is dead. You can say it." Ezra assured her.

"This A person knew things about us that they had no possible way of knowing. A knows about my dad's affair, and somehow they have a picture of me with Jason when I was fourteen. And apparently they know about us." Aria said.

"Why haven't you told anyone about this?" Ezra asked. Alison's funeral had been months ago, he couldn't believe Aria had been holding this in since then.

"It's too dangerous." Aria said, "A has so much on us, and we have nothing on them."

"Thank you for telling me this." Ezra said, "I can't even imagine what you're going through right now."

"You deserve to know." Aria mumbled.

Ezra cupped Aria's face in his hand, a motion so familiar to him, "Aria, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Aria said, "I should have known that it was A."

"No, it's not. I reacted wrong. I love you, and I shouldn't have let anything get in the way of that." Ezra said.

Aria looked at Ezra; his messy brown hair, his beautiful blue eyes, and the boyish face that she had such affection for. There was no way she could let him go. A had gotten between them, and she wouldn't let A win. Forgiving Ezra was the easiest thing she had ever done

Aria's lips met Ezra's, "I love you too."

Nothing felt more right than kissing Ezra did. Aria realized that all she had ever wanted was right in front of her, and how much she loved Ezra. Running to Jason had been out of spite. This was what she wanted, this was who she loved.

Ezra pulled Aria closer to him, and into his lap as their kiss intensified. Their tongues found their way to one another, as Aria traced her fingers over Ezra's jawline. Every movement was careful and tender but fueled by passion. With each touch, their breathing became harsher. Ezra ran his fingers over the skin beneath Aria's shirt. There was no space in between them anymore.

Ezra slowly lifted Aria's shirt up until it was completely off. She shivered at the night air and the excitement she felt. Ezra planted kisses over Aria's chest and collarbone, slowly moving his lips over uncharted territory. Something inside of her intensified in that moment. His lips were so powerful against her bare skin.

Aria gasped, "Ezra. I want you."

Ezra kissed Aria gently. He didn't try to argue with her this time. They loved each other, and that was all that mattered to him in that moment. There was no point in trying to fight his feelings any longer.

Ezra's hands wandered over the smooth skin of Aria's sides as he continued to kiss her. He held the crook of her neck, and could feel her racing pulse beneath his fingertips. Aria pressed her palm against Ezra's stomach, feeling the ridges of his abdomen muscles. Being with Ezra felt so different than being with Jason. When Aria was with Jason she had felt wild and reckless, but this just felt passionate and . . . right.

Aria smiled as Ezra pulled her into a position where she was straddled across his lap. His hands were cupped around her butt, and she could feel the size of his bulge in between her legs. Ezra kissed the skin between Aria's breasts as he removed her bra. It was the first time he had ever seen her so exposed. Ezra's eyes darkened with lust as they danced over Aria's body. Aria pulled on the hem of Ezra's shirt.

"Your turn." She smiled, and suddenly his shirt was off as well.

Ezra stopped staring at Aria, and pulled her closer to him so he could kiss each of her breasts. After placing love bites all over her chest, he stopped and began to suck on her nipple, causing Aria to gasp with pleasure. He moved his mouth to the other breast, and then back up to meet Aria's lips with a newfound hunger.

They both adjusted their bodies so they were kneeling, and Aria began to remove Ezra's jeans. His hands guided hers as she left him in only one layer of clothing. Ezra began to kiss and suck on Aria's neck, with his hands steady on her waist. Her back arched at the sensation of him. Aria gripped his hair tightly, which only made Ezra more passionate as he used his mouth to pleasure Aria.

Slowly, Ezra began to unbutton Aria's jeans, and he moved on top of her as he slid them down her leg. There were only two layers of clothing between them, and Aria was now lying flat on the bed of Ezra's truck.

Ezra looked into Aria's eyes, "Are you sure?"

Aria nodded at Ezra, "I want you Ezra. I love you."

"It's going to hurt," Ezra said, "Maybe a lot."

"Stop trying to fight this Ezra," Aria kissed him.

Ezra ran his finger along the edge of Aria's panties and across the smooth skin that was hidden underneath. He began to stroke her slit, and felt her sharp intake of breath as he touched where no man had ever touched before. The unfamiliar feeling was pure ecstasy. After an unbeknownst amount of time, Ezra relieved Aria of her last article of clothing, leaving her completely bare.

They were both painfully aware of how close they were to uniting with one another, and ached with want. Ezra ran his hands over Aria's body, whispering uncomprehendable words of affection and planting kisses everywhere. With caution, Aria slowly pulled down Ezra's boxers, and stopped to stare at him. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this moment, but she still felt completely ready as she stared at his naked body. She closed her hand around his member, and moved it up and down, although he was already fully aroused.

Ezra fumbled around in his jeans and pulled out a condom. He rolled it over himself as Aria stared at him, her nerves racing through her blood. Ezra bent down over Aria, supporting his weight with his arms. He kissed her gently.

"Are you sure?" He asked one last time.

Aria nodded. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he slowly slid inside of her. Ezra didn't move for a few minutes to allow Aria to adjust to his size. He could feel her tense up and knew she must be in pain. He rubbed his hands over the curve of her waist.

"Relax, sweetheart." He whispered.

Aria took a deep breath, and immediately was calmer. Ezra slowly began to move inside of her, taking great care to be gentle with each thrust. Another gasped escaped Aria's mouth each time he filler her up with every inch of himself. Every worry she had ever had washed away and was replaced with feelings of love and astoundment.

Ezra marveled at the feeling of being inside of Aria. She was warm and tight, and felt perfect. He held onto her waist, stroked her hair, her cheek, kissed her forehead and chest as he continued to rock back in forth inside of her. Each gasp that she emitted was encouragement to Ezra and heightened his pleasure.

Aria's eyes were fluttering as the feeling of Ezra thrusting inside her walls intensified. Her hips began to move and respond to each of his motions. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead despite the night chill. Aria could feel the same heat building up inside her body.

"Faster." She gasped, unaware of the thought even escaping her mouth.

Ezra complied and began to thrust faster, taking great care to still be gentle with Aria, not wanting to hurt her. He moved one hand back down and rubbed circles right above the place where he was inside of her. Aria moaned, and dragged her hands down his back. He could tell she was close, and this fueled his passion.

Aria's hips rocked even faster against Ezra, and her back arched as her gasps became shallower. With one final breath they both were brought over the edge and released at the same time. Ezra collapsed next to Aria, being careful not to crush her. She rolled over, nuzzling his shoulder and they remained in the position for the longest time.

"That was amazing." Aria finally broke the silence.

"You're amazing." Ezra whispered, "I love you."

Ezra kissed Aria's forehead, and reached for her hand where he absentmindedly drew patterns over her skin and traced the lines in her palm. The night was silent and it felt like the world had stopped just to let them live in their own perfect moment, where they could forget everything that was wrong and just be together.

* * *

**A/N: It happened! I hope you guys loved reading this scene as much as I loved writing it, and I especially hope it made the wait worthwhile. I reached 20,000 words this chapter, marking this my longest fanfic by far. There's still a lot yet to happen. Please leave a review I love hearing what you guys think of my writing Xx**


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